Oil companies reject contamination claims over E20 petrol
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Three public sector oil marketing companies on Friday rejected claims that ethanol-blended petrol is being contaminated with excessive moisture and chloride, saying nationwide testing found E20 fuel within prescribed quality limits.
Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum said they conducted intensive testing across the entire E20 supply chain following recent reports and concerns about fuel contamination.
E20 contains 80% petrol and 20% ethanol.
The companies said more than 100 randomly selected petrol samples tested across refineries had chloride levels at or below 1 part per million (ppm), compared with the prescribed limit of 3 ppm for ethanol used in petrol blending. A task force comprising officials from the oil companies and the Centre for High Technology also tested ethanol samples from 80 distilleries over the past 10 days, with all samples recording chloride levels below 3 ppm.
More than 80 samples collected from OMC terminals also met the prescribed chloride limits. At petrol pumps, more than 160 samples tested in recent days showed chloride levels between 0 and 3 ppm, the companies said.
Two isolated cases of elevated chloride levels were detected at retail outlets. Sales at those outlets were suspended, followed by investigations and corrective measures before supplies were restored.
The OMCs said around 90,000 petrol pumps have begun mandatory inspections of underground storage tanks. Water-ingress and density tests are being conducted eight to 12 times daily, while mobile testing laboratories have also been deployed.
The testing follows concerns raised by the automobile industry over possible corrosion and wear of engine components due to excessive chloride and moisture. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers later withdrew its letter to the government, saying the data required further authentication.
E20 has also faced criticism over mileage in older vehicles. The government has said any mileage reduction would be marginal, at around 3-5%, and has denied claims of component wear.
The OMCs urged consumers to continue using E20 petrol, saying it meets prescribed quality standards and is subject to continuous monitoring. India reached 20% ethanol blending in petrol in 2025-26, five years ahead of the government's original target.
